As others have pointed out, I think it's just a matter of pros and cons.
For smaller hatches, I don't think you can beat a good broody. Incubators just don't function as well as a mother hen (imagine that, Mother Nature knows what she's doing!).
Do note I said *good* broody. They are not all created equal. With a good attentive broody hen and good quality eggs you should expect a very high hatch rate. My experience has always been 95% or above. The hatch rate will go down with a sloppy broody. I've had two broody hens hatch chicks this year. Once was outstanding, 99% hatch rate. The other hen is just a total ding bat, had about a 60% hatch rate. The good momma is in a tractor with her babies. The cruddy momma is back out with the flock and her babies are in a brooder in the house!
With an incubator, I've read not to expect hatch rates higher than 60-70%. Obviouslly some people can and do get MUCH better rates than that. But on the whole, I don't think incubators are as good or as consistant.
One word of warning... don't expect a broody hen to be enough predator protection for new hatched chicks if left to free range. I had a broody hatch chicks in January. I left her out with the flock, all the chicks got eaten.
My good broody this spring protected all her chicks until I moved her out of the barn and into the tractor. The bad broody let one of her chicks get eaten and another got attacked before I took them away from her.
I had 24 fertile eggs in an incubator right now (ran out of broody hens!
). Candled today on day 10, had to toss 5 eggs already that had either not developed, or were dead. Already lost 21% of my eggs and we're not even done yet!
Liz
